Book Recommendations for Your Hogwarts House

While we at the Riot take some time off to rest and catch up on our reading, we’re re-running some of our favorite posts from the last several months. Enjoy our highlight reel, and we’ll be back with new stuff on Tuesday, January 3rd.

This post originally ran July 28, 2016.

When Pottermore released a second Sorting quiz early this year, I was quite skeptical. Sorting, for me, isn’t a cavalier event; as Rowling describes it, it’s permanent, significant, and sculpts a Hogwarts student’s life. However, the quiz had a satisfactory feel to it, and the questions didn’t seem arbitrary (as opposed to the Ilvermorny Sorting, which just made me want to creep back unnoticed to the Slytherin dungeons).

While I wait for my copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to arrive, I present to you, with a little help from the trusty Sorting Hat (read: my fellow Book Rioters), book recommendations for your Hogwarts house!

Disclaimer: this post is *totally* not an attempt to find fellow Potterheads who believe that all humans are born to belong to a Hogwarts house, and legitimize my beliefs.

GRYFFINDOR:

You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart.

Yes Please, because Amy Poehler is surely a strong-headed Gryffindor who stands apart from the crowd if there ever was one.

To add to the list of determined female protagonists whom Hermione Granger would be friends with, we have Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanahand Fran Ross’ Oreo, both tales of adventure, identity, and strength.

Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis, where Kivrin, the protagonist, is the science fiction equivalent of ‘The Chosen One’: a symbol of hope in a dark age.

Cheryl Strayed ‘s Wild if you prefer your dose of Gryffindor delivered to you as non-fiction. Strayed talks about her 100-mile trail on the Pacific Crest Trail, and discovering personal strengths along the way.

Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, for a gorgeous story of bravado and nerve. The novel’s theme of sacrifice for the sake of love also makes me feel that if the lead characters went to Hogwarts, they’d be in Gryffindor.

HUFFLEPUFF

You might belong in Hufflepuff,Where they are just and loyal,Those patient Hufflepuffs are trueAnd unafraid of toil.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower, because both these stories of teenagers finding moments of clarity while stumbling their way through life will charm any Hufflepuff’s heart.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, for the unexpected and underrated strength and patience of the unnamed protagonist. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, because the lack of a clear protagonist reveals a certain hopeful and resilient streak in the human race, and is straight up the Hufflepuff alley.

Tigerman by Nick Harkaway, for its highlighting of loyalty and decency as virtues. The main character, Lester, is not necessarily the smartest or the strongest hero, but his sense of right and wrong, even when what is right is dangerous, shines through for those he feels are important to him. The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson, is also similar, where the boy protagonist is helpful and selfless in a story about inclusivity and friendship.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez because the story marches to a slow beat, revealing its course only to the patient and passionate reader.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini because Hasan and Amir’s story of loyalty is a gut-punch that will leave you reeling. The Princess Bride, which might not read as revolutionary or radical, but is an old favorite which combines a fairy tale romance with themes of loyalty.

RAVENCLAW

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,if you’ve a ready mind,Where those of wit and learning,Will always find their kind.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, because Alice’s internal monologue is what I imagine Luna Lovegood’s would sound like, and for the Mad Hatter and his famous ‘Why is a raven like a writing desk’ riddle. Speaking of riddles, Ravenclaws must pick up Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, for its mind-whirring semiotic riddles.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, for its beautiful, dark magic. The series is about Nathaniel, a young, talented sorcerer, and his ambitions, which are overreaching, overzealous in true Malfoy spirit.